2415 Velvet Valley Way
Owings Mills, MD 21117

This is a phenomenal local school and an absolute gem in Baltimore county public schools. Our child could have gone to many places but we chose Fort Garrison because not one parent we spoke to who had kids at the school was unhappy. We were sad to have to move away at the end of the year partly because we hated to take our child away from such a wonderful environment. Our child's teacher was the absolute best and really committed to each child's learning needs. Weekly communication ensured we were kept in the loop and the class size was smaller than at many desirable private schools, which begs the question of why anyone would choose to pay so much instead of supporting this brilliant local school. The administrators and support staff were also so friendly and it really felt like everyone knew your kid. Parental involvement at the school is very strong and the PTA organizes so many fun events that are well attended. Buses ran on time in our experience and we felt that our child was safe throughout. The playground is awesome, shaded for the most part and huge, with a trail behind it that classes visit. All in all, a fantastic place to send your child and feel good about doing so. This is a well loved school and community and it's easy to feel part of it very quickly.

My daughter had a great experience at Pikesville Middle School.

While my child earned the right to be in the AVID program, after deciding to remain virtual, was essentially put out of the AVID program because of being virtual. Fact: I wasn't upset with the fact that my child was removed, as I attempted to withdraw him from the program back in 2019 because I've seen the program go downhill over the years. I was underwhelmed by the lack of support from the AVID coordinators; they are lazy and forget that they are working with high schoolers, not college or graduate students, and lack the understanding that they need guidance. When requesting to withdraw from AVID, I was given an entire shpill on why my child needed to stay and the paperwork required. Fast forward, my child and I decided to remain virtual and was therefore removed. They didn't even have the decency to effectively communicate this to me. It took me to inquire about why I was no longer receiving correspondence regarding AVID, this was when I found out. Like I said, LAZY!